


The Beginning of Something Really Excellent

by LizaWithAZed



Series: 30 Days of Homestuck [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-26 21:05:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/654407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizaWithAZed/pseuds/LizaWithAZed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The problem with being a bassist is that while playing solo is fine, sometimes you just want someone to JAM with. Where on Prospit is jade going to find a musician?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning of Something Really Excellent

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: this is one of the most nauseatingly adorable things I’ve ever written in my entire life
> 
> Disclaimer: Homestuck and the characters and settings therein are the property of Andrew Hussie; Mobius Trip and Hadron Kaleido are the creation of Michael Guy Bowman and Tavia Morra. All are used here entirely without permission but entirely with respect. This is for love, not for money.
> 
> Acknowledgements: apologies to Robert J! Lake for stealing his title and then writing a fic full of Bowman references. Apologies to Michael for doing that terribly obnoxious thing of attributing music of his (that he hasn’t already) to a fictional character. Ditto Nick Smalley. Eternal gratitude to by brilliant beta Logicloup
> 
> Author’s Notes: Written for the 30 days of Homestuck challenge, for Day 1: Favourite Pre-Scratch Kid (the answer being Jade, of course). The enjoyment of this fic is greatly enhanced by listening to the following: OhGodWhat Remix, Greenhouse, Tangled Waltz, Squiddles Samba, Mr Bowman Tells You About The Squiddles, and Frog Hunt as it was written while listening to them.

Jade sighed, then looked around quickly to make sure no-one had heard her. Prospit was wonderful, and she loved being here and exploring and making new friends and Flying! Gosh! Flying was just the best!! But Prospit did have a down side and that was that its inhabitants could be if anything a little _too_ helpful and eager to please, and if anyone heard her sighing…

“Miss Jade? Can I do anything?” A soft voice came from the doorway, interrupting her thoughts.

Oh. Drat.

“No, it’s honestly okay…” Jade started to reply as she turned towards the doorway but faltered off as she realized the small white face in the doorway wasn’t one she recognized. “Uhm, I’m sorry, I don’t remember you!”

The new prospitian smiled brightly but a little nervously. “I’m Mobius, Mobius Trip,” he said, his voice soft but clear and strong. “I just got decanted yesterday,” he added, though Jade wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. He shuffled sideways so he was standing fully in the doorway, and Jade saw he was taller than average, nearly her height, and wearing the white shift all prospitians did. He shuffled nervously from foot to foot and she saw he was holding something behind his back. He caught her gaze and flushed slightly, his opalescent white shell pinking slightly under the surface, and she noticed that his large black eyes had a greenish tinge to them. “I brought you a present, he said, “I meant they sent me up here, with a present, I didn’t make it or choose it or anything…” he faltered and brought out what he’d been hiding behind him - an acoustic guitar, beautifully detailed with the symbol of prospit and stylized clouds.

Jade gasped in delight, and Mobius beamed. “Our woodworkers just figured out how to make it from images in the clouds,” he said, “Her Majesty noticed you play one, and hoped this instrument would be to your liking, and since I’m new, and hadn’t had the honour of meeting you yet, princess, I was chosen to bring it to you.” He knelt before her solemnly, holding the guitar in both hands and presenting it to her as if it were a sword being offered to a knight in a fairy-tale.

Jade fought the urge to giggle and crouched before Mobius so her head was level with his. “You must thank her Majesty for me,” she said, “and I’m so happy to meet you, Mobius! You’re very sweet! But…” she bit her lip and Mobius looked up in alarm, concern spreading over his face.

She smiled to reassure him “It’s very beautiful,” she said, “but, I pay a bass, not guitar.” She held out her own bass to show the difference in structure of the instrument. “They’re similar, but not quite the same, and I could pick it up, I suppose…”

Mobius’ face fell, and he pulled the guitar back. “I’m so sorry, miss Jade, I’ll return it to the queen at once….”

“Oh no, don’t do that!” Jade exclaimed, and Mobius blinked in confusion. Jade laughed a little and continued “It’s actually a happy accident! You see, you asked if there was anything you could do, when you came in, because you heard me sighing, and you thought I was sad, and that’s why you hid my present, right?” Mobius nodded.

Jade sat back on a stool, and positioned her bass in her lap. She started picking out a relaxing baseline, carefully watching Mobius’ reaction. To her delight he closed his eyes and smiled, clearly enjoying her playing. Many prospitians didn’t seem to quite understand music, though they humoured her of course, but Mobius seemed to get it. “Do you like music, Mobius?”

“I love music!” Mobius exclaimed happily, “I heard you play when I was finishing growing in my ecto-tube, and when I was decanted, and when the Queen asked me to bring you the gift I was so happy…” he trailed off and looked at the seemingly useless guitar in his hands.

“I love music too,” Jade said, “and I love playing my bass, but, sometimes I really wish I had an accompanist, someone to play harmony over my baseline. And the very best instrument for that is the one you’re holding right there!” Mobius’ head came up sharply, and Jade could see a hopeful expression on his face. Mobius hugged the guitar to himself and grinned widely. “You can teach me to play it?” he said, his voice high with excitement. Jade laughed and nodded, pointing to a chair opposite her.

“The Queen got me exactly what I wanted for a present, Mobius - not the guitar, or not just the guitar, but you!” Mobius beamed as Jade showed him how to position his fingers and soon he was picking out a single but serviceable tune to her baseline.

~~~

In the days that followed, Mobius proved to be a quick student, helped by some tricks Jade had picked up from teaching herself bass out of grandpa’s books, like the reminder strings. Mobius never took them off, even long after he’d stopped needing them. When Jade (or anyone) asked him about them, he’d reply that he kept them to remind himself of his first and best friend.

In time Mobius mastered not only his first acoustic guitar but Jade’s bass - in simple and advanced mode, and eventually the Queen was persuaded (rather easily, to be truthful) to supply Mobius with an electric guitar to match Jade’s bass. It was gleaming prospit white, and Jade insisted Mobius’ ax - as she called it - was a lady and should have a name as beautiful as she was.

“Magic?” Mobius asked and Jade shook her head.

“No, it needs to be pretty, and and a Lady’s name, and pretty, and shining….” Jade looked out the windows in thought and caught a glimpse of a pair of legs in striped stockings, wearing gleaming Ruby Slippers. “That’s it! She’s Glinda, the Good Witch!”

Jade and Mobius (and Glinda) played together often - silly tunes that she made up, songs from her Squiddles record, and eventually tunes Mobius had written, inspired by her and her stories of growing flowers in her greenhouse at home, he said. He even took a short silly tune she’d made once and remixed it, jamming around it. One of their favourite things to do together was for her to ask him “Mister Mobius, would you please tell me about the Squiddles?”

“Well of course, dear child!” he’d reply, launching into her favourite Squiddles tune she’d taught him. Jade had to admit that Mobius did do a flawless impression of Mister Bowman - whoever the heck _he_ was.

All good things do come to an end, however, and the day came when Jade noticed that Mobius had slowly but surely grown taller than she was, and has traded his simple shift for an elegant officer’s uniform in gold and blue, with braided epaulettes and a silver sun on the front.

“You’re joining the army today, aren’t you?” She asked him, when they finished an intricate waltz tune Jade felt sounded like a lullaby. 

Mobius nodded. “The war starts today, they’ve seen it in the clouds”

Jade dropped her bass and pulled Mobius into a hug. Tears leaked from her eyes “Can’t you refuse? Can’t you get special permission as my accompanist?”

“I could,” Mobius said, and looked into Jade’s eyes, his face solemn, before continuing “but I want to fight. Prospit is my home, and I love it dearly, and I want to protect it.”

“Do you love it more than me?” Jade asked softly, tears pricking at her eyes. She’d seen visions of the battlefield covered in little black and white bodies; the thought of her best friend being one of them was more than she could bear.

“You _are_ Prospit, my lady, Princess Jade,” Mobius said fondly, and leaned over and kissed her nose. “I’m part of the unit that’s going to try to direct the battle, keep it as far away from the Chain as possible. I’m going to keep you safe.”

“You just make sure you keep you safe, mister,” Jade said sternly, and Mobius laughed, and hugged her tightly.

“I promise, Jade” he said. He went over to the window overlooking the tower next to Jade’s. “You keep her safe, my prince,” he muttered, knowing John couldn’t hear him, “assuming you finally wake up today.” He wondered if he should tell her that that was her brother who slept there - but recalled the Queen’s warning of not giving out knowledge ahead of time. It wasn’t their place, she’d told him. Players of The Great Game had such a hard road ahead of them, Mobius mused. If it was up to him, he’d find some way to make it easier, some way of giving them clues. He shook his head to clear it and then, with a last smile at Jade, he left.

~~~

Later that day, on the battlefield, Mobius remembered his promise ruefully as he watched in horror as that… thing, that dersite superwaepon gone mad, tore its was across the battlefield indiscriminately and flew straight for the chain of prospit, sundering it easily and sending the moon crashing down into Skaia. He screamed in terror and loss as he saw it careening towards Jade as she tried fruitlessly to wake John, finally shoving him roughly aside to clear him from the path of destruction with not enough time to leap clear herself. Running with all his might, Mobius was still too far away to save her when the moon landed, and he sank to his knees sobbing in grief.

He watched from a distance as John woke and cradled his ectosister, crying. It didn’t feel quite right to intrude - that was a family moment, and he’d never really known the boy. He gripped the strap of Glinda tightly, silently thankful he’d forgotten to leave her behind, sparing her from destruction. He looked down at his hands, the bright bands of colour the only thing besides Glinda he has left of his friend. He was thankful too that he’d never taken any of them off, and vowed he never would - having no idea that directly above him was a scene of him doing just that, giving half of them to adorn the fingers of someone who would come to mean as much - if not more - to him as Jade.

He took off across the scarred and burning battlefield, promising himself that the first dersite Agent he saw would get the duel of their lives, and he would destroy them or die trying in bloody retribution of his Princess.

He had no way to know that he was about to meet someone else who would change his life as profoundly as Jade had, forever.


End file.
